The death of the Vita

Sony is enjoying the massive success of the PlayStation 4. The same cannot be said for the PS Vita.

E3 and Gamescom have done very little to solidify the future of the Vita. With little to no key software titles being announced, people are wondering if Sony has begun to write off the Vita. The truth is, and it's going to hurt, that they have.

Kind of.

Despite the fact that the Vita's game line-up remains second fiddle to the juggernaut that is the Nintendo 3DS, the Vita does have something incredible going for it: It's the ultimate PS4 companion, the system's killer app, and it's possible due to two features.

First is Sony's cross-buy promotion, something that isn't unique to the PlayStation 4/PS Vita. As Sony fans have already experienced with titles such as PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, purchasing the game on, say, the PS3 will net you the Vita version as well. We'll see this in the future with the PS4/Vita release of Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number. Imagine if Nintendo had a plan like this for the Wii U and 3DS with Shovel Knight. It'd be pretty amazing, no?

This isn't the icing on the cake, though; enter remote play, the beloved feature that allows Vita owners to play their PS4 games remotely over an internet connection. While those damn latency issues may keep the experience from being 100% optimal, the ability to play Destiny on a Megabus WiFi connection is downright fantastic. Sure, it may be a bit laggy, but hey, you're playing freaking Destiny on a bus.

So wait a second, then. The Vita isn't dead by any means. So why is this article entitled "The death of the Vita?" It's simple: the Vita/PS4 relationship has become so entwined that the Vita needs the PS4 in order to survive. The Vita has become the PS4's ultimate companion, offering the same experience you can get on your big screen in a handheld form. While we may never see the days of a true exclusive for the Vita stealing our hearts (Sorry, Tearaway, but you're being ported now), we can still take solace that Sony has turned the Vita into a handheld PS4.